Creation of the World. Popov’s Sound Machines.

Radio station: Radio Russia

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Creation of the World. Popov’s Sound Machines.

Vladimir Popov – (1889-1968) an actor and a head of “Acoustic workshop” of Moscow Art Theatre. He was responsible for all sound effect for the stage productions. Also he worked for movies (to name few – all soundtracks for Eisenstein’s films created by Popov). During his life Popov made dozens of “sound machines” ranging from a grasshopper to tank battle of WW2. In his book about “sound sets” he stated that his machines were not made to imitate a real sound but to create an artistic image of it. Popov regarded his machines as a musical instruments playing like orchestra to accompany stage play of film.

“Creation of the World” is an contemporary attempt to play thise instruments to celebrate the birthday of Arts.

“Creation of the World Sound Fraud“

It is quite usual that while listening to the avant-garde and experimental music people tend to find associations with something familiar and understandable in the stream of absolutely abstract sounds. Sound machines are some kind of a fraud, deceiving audience for many years – sounds made of one real objects are perceived as the sounds of some other real objects. Perhaps we should bring this chain of illusions to its logical end – take the sounds of this fraud-machines and make absolutely abstract music from them. But you of course may – and will – try to look for something real and familiar even here. And you are likely to find it. If you can.

Oleg Makarov (b.1979) – composer, sound-artist, media-artist, hardware / software interactive systems and instruments maker. Composes music of various kinds: chamber, instrumental, vocal, electroacoustic. Since 2006 composes music for radio plays for Radio Russia and Radio Culture. Since 2004 participates in international festivals and exhibitions of modern art as a composer, author of multimedia interactive installations and performances, multi-channel algorithmic audio installations. Regularly performs his electroacoustic pieces, both composed and improvised, in various art-centers. Makes experiments in cross-media fields of arts, electronics, programming etc. Researches algorithms of sound, movement and video interactions using interactive graphical programming environments.